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A Love Affair With the Sea
by Trevor Norton
Book Reviewed by:Eminent marine biologist Trevor Norton takes us around the oceans of the world in this fascinating semi autobiograpical lovefest with the oceans.
On a hot summer's day there could be no quicker transport to the seaside than Trevor Norton's cool and entrancing account of a lifetime's adventures under or near the water. Norton's eye for the bizarre, amazing, and beautiful inhabitants of the oceans, and the eccentric characters who work, study, and live by the shore make his book a wonder-filled experience. An intrepid diver and distinguished scientist, Norton's writing is self-deprecating, very funny, and full of wry and intriguing anecdotes; he is an unfailingly delightful companion. Whether his setting is a bed of jewel anemones in an Irish lough, a giant California cavern shared with sea lions, a mildewed research station, or the glittering coral gardens of Sharm el Sheikh, his captivating prose always finds the mark. Sometimes following the shoreline with earlier beachcombers such as Darwin, John Steinbeck, and George Orwell, Norton also takes the reader to depths where the shapes of creatures living without sunlight defy imagination. Admirers of the gorgeous detail of Rachel Carson's The Sea Around Us will revel in Norton's writing, his observations, and irreverent wit.
Despite Norton's wit and encyclopedic knowledge, after a while the rambling takes on the feel of a "brain dump" .... The saving grace is Norton's deep and profound love of the sea which shines clearly on every page, which is enough to amply redeem Underwater To Get Out of The Rain from its arguable faults...continued
Full Review
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(Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).
Trevor Norton is Professor of Marine Biology at the University of Liverpool. He is the author of a number of popular natural history books, including Reflections on a Summer Sea and Stars Beneath The Sea. His writing has been described as "by turns funny and gripping" by the Guardian and a "racing current of excitement, adventure and discovery" by New Scientist.
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Lawrence Millman, author of Last Places
A delicious bouillabaisse of memoir, wit, and natural history! I would say more, but I can't tear myself away from this utterly beguiling book."
